Bittersweet
by Sara Nero
Summary: Dante's death was still haunting Zhalia and even after time has passed, she still had to live with the pain. A small Zhante One-Shot with some fluff at the end. Hope you enjoy!
**A/N:** That's something I spontaneously came up with. It's a one-shot and is not related to my current story. I hope that you like it so please tell me by leaving a review!

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Bittersweet

Zhalia's eyes widened in horror and for a moment it felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

Her blood run cold in her veins and all she could do was watch in pure terror as the red comet exploded before it faded into nothingness, together with Dante.

And then, there was nothing. It seemed as if everything around her came to an halt, leaving her deaf to the screams and battle-sounds.

She felt her heart clenching tightly as she shut her hazel eyes close, trying to get the image out of her head.

It felt as if someone had punched her right in the face all over again.

Dante had just sacrificed himself for _their_ sake, he had given up his life in order for _them_ to survive.

He was gone.

It was getting harder to breathe and just then, pictures flashed in front of her eyes.

" _Zhalia.." His amber eyes locked with her hazel eyes, the surprise and hurt clearly audible in his voice._

 _She tried her best to ignore the voice that was starting to get louder and louder in her head, yelling at her to stop right there and then._

 _Zhalia shook her head and shut her eyes, trying to focus at the task at hand. She was going to do it, there was no reason as to why she shouldn't. She would kill Dante and then she would finally gain the respect and recognition she had always yearned for._

 _She raised her fist, the spell engulfing her fist with a dark hue before Zhalia got into position._

 _It was then that she made a mistake._

 _She looked into his eyes and noticed the way he looked at her, and something in her made itself noticeable._

 _Zhalia hesitated for the tiniest of seconds and from then on, she knew that she couldn't do it._

She felt dizzy and grabbed her head out of pain, gritting her teeth tightly.

" _Dante, I am so sorry."_

 _She took a step towards him and felt herself getting pulled into an embrace. His arms tightened around her as she laid her head on his shoulder, inhaling shakily and allowing herself to let her guard down, even if for this moment only._

 _She breathed in his scent and tightened her grip on his shirt, allowing the warmth his body was emitting to engulf her._

" _It's alright." He mumbled comfortingly._

 _Zhalia then pulled away from him and allowed herself to take a look at his face. He truly meant what he said, his eyes shining with honesty and it was then that Zhalia felt relieved._

 _He gave her a soft smile, which she hesitantly returned._

" _Dante," Zhalia started, but stopped when she saw him lean in. Without noticing, she inched closer as well, they were so **close** and yet so far._

"Stop." Zhalia pleaded in a broken whisper, trying to get the images out of her head.

" _Dante, you were the only one who didn't ask me to stay." Zhalia spoke disappointed, watching Dante lowering his gaze at her words._

" _I am going to miss you." He returned in a low voice, worsening the pain in her chest._

 _He then offered her his hand which she took without hesitation, a wave of sadness overcoming her. Dante pulled her into his strong arms, a gesture that Zhalia had come to get all too familiar with. She didn't know how long they were standing there, but in that moment she didn't care. He was able to comfort her through actions rather than words, easing the knot of uncertainty that had formed itself in her stomach._

The small glances he had always given her out of the corner of his eye when he thought that she wasn't looking, the smiles that he seemed to have reserved for her only and the way his mere presence managed to calm her, it would all fade into forgetting.

A tear run down her cheek, and that was when she gave up. She didn't have the strength to stay strong anymore, to hide behind the walls she had build.

The grief, pain and sorrow all clouded her senses at once and a sharp pain in her chest gave her the last blow she needed to break.

 **-X-**

Zhalia's eyes flew open wide, a gasp escaping her lips as she tried to make out where she was. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room while she was panting heavily, a layer of cold sweat covering her forehead.

It was then that she noticed that she was in her room back in Venice, leaving her confused as to what had happened.

She then felt the mattress beside her shift, resulting her jumping in place before she felt herself looking into a pair of worried amber eyes.

"Zhalia?" Dante whispered concerned, now also sitting. He laid a hands on each side of her face, his thumb running along her jaw in a soothing motion.

Zhalia unconsciously leaned into his touch and tried to calm her beating heart. Her hazel eyes were glassy and she was still trying to catch her breath as she realized that it was only a dream and that he was right here with her.

He was right there, he didn't leave her.

"Don't leave me again." She mumbled in a pleading whisper, laying her hand over his.

Dante's eyes widened in realization upon hearing her words for the split of a second before they softened, his heart giving a painful beat.

He pulled her into his arms and wrapped his arms securely around her waist, her head firmly put against his broad shoulders as he laid his cheek against the top of her head.

He knew that his death had affected her the most and that even now, almost a year later she was still bothered by it.

The guilt was unbearable and Dante tightened his grip around her, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"I'm sorry Zhaal." He breathed remorsefully, brushing his lips against the temple of her head. " I promise you that I won't leave you again."

Zhalia in return slumped her shoulders and took comfort in his words, his voice having the usual calming effect on her. She knew that he could guarantee nothing and that if he would have to do it again, he would do so but for now she was believing his words and his closure.

He soothingly rubbed her back and noticed that after a few moments her breathing softened. She fell asleep in his arms and Dante gently moved to lay her down on the bed. He took in her exhausted features that were illuminated by the Moonlight that was shining through the window into the room they shared.

Her chest was falling and rising in a steady rhythm and Dante reached out to gently brush a strand of raven-hair out of her face.

He then laid back down next to her and carefully pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead as she unconsciously moved closer to him.

"Forgive me Zhaal."

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 **A/N:** I'm sorry if they were OOC, I tried to portray it as realistic as possible and hope that I (if only partly) succeeded to make them as less OOC as possible. Don't forget to leave a review!:)


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